Below
are descriptions of CCJS 418 courses that will be offered in the fall 2012
semester. Please consider enrolling in one of the courses...
CCJS418A
Seminar in Criminology and Criminal Justice: Deterrence
What
can we do prevent people from committing crime? Hire more police? Put more
people in prison? Spend more money and expand punishments? The popular concept
of ‘getting tough’ on crime by increasing the severity of punishments is often
championed by policy makers, elected officials and the public at large as a way
to reduce crime. In some places, the driver of the getaway car in a robbery
that results in a fatality can get the death penalty even if this individual
had nothing to do with the actual killing. In other cases, 14-year-old kids can
receive a sentence of life without parole. The United States incarcerates more
people than anywhere in the world. But is there compelling support suggesting
that any of this actually deters individuals and reduces crime? For example, 36
states have expanded laws to now penalize texting while driving with a heavy
fine, yet current statistics show an increase of 150% of texting while driving
in the past year.
This
course will focus on two key avenues to understanding how deterrence works.
First, it will explore the historical development of the deterrence doctrine
and the current state of evidence supporting it, including effectiveness of
current forms of punishment and policies. Second, there will be a concentration
on individual human behavioral tendencies and capacities to understand,
operationalize sanction threats, respond to them, and ultimately be deterred by
them.
CCJS418G
Seminar in Criminology and Criminal Justice: The Craft of Criminological
Research and Writing
418G
is a new course specifically designed for students interested in sharpening
their critical skills and being better prepared for graduate and law
school. During this course, students will learn how to critically analyze
empirical articles that test criminological theory and evaluate criminal
justice policy. In doing so, students will improve their knowledge of
theory, research methods, and data analysis - they will also learn how to write
effectively for research purposes. This is a unique chance to be part of
a small, challenging class, taught by the prior Director of the CCJS Honors
Program.
CCJS418I
Seminar in Criminology and Criminal Justice: Causes and Consequences of Mass
Incarceration
By
many measures the United States, with over 1.6 million persons in state and
federal prisons, leads the world in rates of incarceration. Today, facing
substantial budget pressures, states are seeking to reduce prison populations
without related increases in crime. This course explores how our society
became what many have called a “prison state”; what we know about the costs and
benefits of these levels of incarceration; and the prospects for substantial
reductions in the use of prisons. Through a combination of assigned
readings, discussion, and completion of a major paper students will demonstrate
their ability to address a major crime policy issue with the tools of
criminology.
CCJS 418J Seminar in Criminology and Criminal
Justice: Foreign Nationals and Crime
This
course is designed to provide students with a general understanding of the
foreign national‐crime nexus in the United States.
Students will become well versed in the typologies of foreign nationals, including:
immigrants, non-immigrants, illegal immigrants, illegal non-immigrants, and
undocumented migrants. This class will survey major theoretical perspectives
within the contemporary criminology field to provide a framework for
understanding the relationship or lack thereof between these foreign nationals
and crime. In addition, this class will examine the available research and
statistics on foreign nationals and crime, and the policy implications of this
research. At the conclusion of this course, students will possess a working
knowledge of; 1) types of foreign nationals, and the criminality of these
foreign nationals in America, 2) the theories used to explain the criminality
of foreign nationals, 3) the limitations of the available research on foreign
nationals and crime, and 4) the policies that have been implemented in attempt
to address the foreign national‐crime nexus. The
course will include special topics lectures on the following: (1) Specific
Policies: S.B. 1070 and 287(g), (2) Smuggling and Human Trafficking, (3)
Foreign National Gangs, and (4) Border Crime. When applicable, the course will
apply lectures to current events in the news, and will offer specialized guest
speakers.
